8 militants killed as troops launch offense vs Abu Sayyaf

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - The military said pursuit operation is ongoing against more than a hundred Abu Sayyaf militants it encountered on Friday in the mountain of Patikul, Sulu.

The military said 13 wounded soldiers have been airlifted to the military hospital in this city and one of them was described to be in critical condition. 

“The ground forces have sustained its operation against the Abu Sayyaf group it encountered Friday. There is a continuous pursuit operation,” Capt. Ma. Rowena Muyuela, spokesperson of Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), said.

Muyuela said the troops under the Joint Task Group Sulu (JTGS) were pursuing at least three combined groups of Abu Sayyaf led by Radulan Sahiron, the most senior militant leader in Sulu.

Muyuela said there was no immediate information if Sahiron was among the casualties during the more than one-hour firefight that sparked about 11:50 a.m.

The ground troops have reported that about eight Abu Sayyaf members were killed before they broke into small factions as they retreated.

The Sulu provincial government said no displacement of civilians was reported in the ongoing military offensive in Patikul. 

“No civilian was dislocated as the area of the operation is far from the populace,” provincial information officer Sonny Abing said.

However, Abing said the provincial government was also prepared to extend relief to civilians once the offensives escalate and affect civilian communities.